Wemo: Difference between revisions
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The business model of Wemo is to sell smart home devices without the user paying for a subscription service. Although this may seem like a pro-consumer move, the Wemo experience has been diminished due to the lack of income streams. According to the App Store, the app once had a 3-year window without updates, which lasted between February 23, 2021 and May 28, 2024 (the current version as of February 24, 2025).<ref name="AAS">https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wemo/id511376996</ref> | The business model of Wemo is to sell smart home devices without the user paying for a subscription service. Although this may seem like a pro-consumer move, the Wemo experience has been diminished due to the lack of income streams. According to the App Store, the app once had a 3-year window without updates, which lasted between February 23, 2021 and May 28, 2024 (the current version as of February 24, 2025).<ref name="AAS">https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wemo/id511376996</ref> | ||
Market control of Wemo has been decreasing over the years, as Wemo is only selling three devices<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20240225173134/https://www.belkin.com/products/wemo-smart-home/</ref> | Market control of Wemo has been decreasing over the years, as Wemo is only selling three devices,<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20240225173134/https://www.belkin.com/products/wemo-smart-home/</ref> down from nine the year prior.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20230201232551/https://www.belkin.com/products/wemo-smart-home/</ref> | ||
==Incidents== | ==Incidents== | ||
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On November 5, 2013, Wemo updated its API to prevent future XML injection attacks.<ref>https://www.belkin.com/support-article/?articleNum=80322</ref> | On November 5, 2013, Wemo updated its API to prevent future XML injection attacks.<ref>https://www.belkin.com/support-article/?articleNum=80322</ref> | ||
On May 16, 2023, multiple websites reported a Sternum study regarding a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Wemo Mini Smart Plug V2.<ref>https://sternumiot.com/iot-blog/mini-smart-plug-v2-vulnerability-buffer-overflow/</ref> The study mentions the device could be exploited through a program called pyWemo<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2023/05/serious-unpatched-vulnerability.html</ref> and potentially through cloud controls.<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725290/wemo-smart-plug-v2-smart-home-security-vulnerability</ref> In their official response, Wemo stated "we believe that bad actors cannot exploit this vulnerability unless they have access to the user’s local network"<ref>https://x.com/WEMOcares/status/1658963426230562819</ref> and "We discontinued the Wemo Mini Smart Plug v2 (F7C063) in 2020"<ref>https://x.com/WEMOcares/status/1658963635882938374</ref> | On May 16, 2023, multiple websites reported a Sternum study regarding a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Wemo Mini Smart Plug V2.<ref>https://sternumiot.com/iot-blog/mini-smart-plug-v2-vulnerability-buffer-overflow/</ref> The study mentions the device could be exploited through a program called pyWemo<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2023/05/serious-unpatched-vulnerability.html</ref> and potentially through cloud controls.<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23725290/wemo-smart-plug-v2-smart-home-security-vulnerability</ref> In their official response, Wemo stated "we believe that bad actors cannot exploit this vulnerability unless they have access to the user’s local network",<ref>https://x.com/WEMOcares/status/1658963426230562819</ref> and "We discontinued the Wemo Mini Smart Plug v2 (F7C063) in 2020"<ref>https://x.com/WEMOcares/status/1658963635882938374</ref> despite not making this information publicly available prior. During this report, the Wemo app hadn't been updated in 2 years, with the most recent update being on February 23, 2021, as previously mentioned.<ref name="AAS" /> | ||
===Connection issues=== | ===Connection issues=== | ||
Since 2018, there have been reports of Wemo devices losing connection to networks frequently.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/8sv90i/the_most_common_problems_and_issues_with_wemo/</ref> This has been the case for dimmers<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/zwb7wr/comment/j1xqs3h/</ref>, | Since 2018, there have been reports of Wemo devices losing connection to networks frequently.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/8sv90i/the_most_common_problems_and_issues_with_wemo/</ref> This has been the case for dimmers,<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/zwb7wr/comment/j1xqs3h/</ref> plugs,<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/17ur9b2/comment/k97i0dp/</ref> and switches.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/18iidjr/comment/m6utdkq/</ref> Device rules created through the Wemo app have also been described as unreliable.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/18iidjr/comment/kdr6n38/</ref> In some cases, the Wemo cloud becomes offline, with users being led to 404 pages.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/zkd9xc/belkin_wemo_is_the_worst_the_app_is_full_of_bugs/</ref> | ||
Some users have mediated these issues by self-hosting a local server for Wemo devices, such as AutomationManager and Home Assistant.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/18iidjr/comment/kf6plao/</ref> | Some users have mediated these issues by self-hosting a local server for Wemo devices, such as AutomationManager and Home Assistant.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/WeMo/comments/18iidjr/comment/kf6plao/</ref> | ||